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Culture of Zardugal
|} The culture of Zardugal is marked by a large degree of syncretism, combining the heritage of the ancient Kingdom of Irkawa and medieval Augustan Empire with cultural influences from Cobura, Deltaria, Jakania, Selucia, and other Majatran nations. Religion Although contemporary Zards are generally quite secular, the traditional denominations of Zardugal continue to play a significant role in the social and political life of Zardugal. Most Zards, including many self-identified non-believers, participate in the major religious holidays and important events in personal life, such as marriage or burial, take place within a religious setting. Similarly to the situation in other Majatran countries, a person's denominational affiliation is to a very large extent correlated with their ethnicity. By far the largest religion is Hosianism, which accounts for almost 80 percent of the nation's population. The largest denomination in Zardugal is the Terran Patriarchal Church, based in the Holy Lands in Deltaria, and which is largely followed by Augustans. The Coburan Apostolic Tewahedo Church, a part of the Apostolic Church of the East, is the second largest Hosian denomination, and it is followed by Mallans and Irkawans. Both Ahmadi denominations,Israism and Abadism are present in Zardugal, a heritage of the conquest by the Ahmadi Caliphate during the Late Middle Ages, and they are mostly followed by Majatrans and Jelbeks as well as a number of Mallans. Art Visual Arts , created during the Augustan Empire]] Traditional Zardic art is characterized by a continuation of ancient Selucian and Kalopian art with heavy Oriental influences. The central feature of Zardic art is its abstract and symbolic character, breaking with the naturalistic features of ancient art. This style of art came to influence the art styles of neighboring countries, most notably Deltaria and Cobura. Zardic painting is almost exclusively religious in character, but secular art is not uncommon. Music Augustan chant Similarly to the status of visual arts, Zardic music is traditionally closely associated with religion, but secular Zardic music is also prevalent. Religious Zardic music, known as Augustan chant, is modal, with a system derived from ancient Kalopian models, with many influences from the neighboring civilizations. Augustan chant has eight tones (or modes), sometimes associated with particular "moods". Although much of chanting can be done without use of written music, due to the use of original melodies and improvisation, Augustan chant uses its own system of musical notation, very different from Western notation: whereas Western notation is based on a staff, where the pitch is determined by the location of the note with regard to the staff, regardless of the previous note, Augustan notation is relational; the note is dependent on the previous note and the symbol itself, which specifies the interval from the previous note. While there are tens of thousands of hymns in Augustan chant, they are all based on less than two hundred original melodies. Folk music Zardic folk traditions derive from the music played by ancient Selucians and Kalopians. There are two main styles of Zardic folk music: akritic music, derived from the medieval akritoj (akritai), the border guards of the Augustan Empire, and hajduk music, developed among the hajdukoj, outlaws and freedom-fighters that fought against the Ahmadi Caliphate. Hajduk music is monophonic and uses no harmonic accompaniment. The dominant instrument in Zardic folk music is the Augustan lyra, a pear-shaped instrument with three to five strings, held upright and played by stopping the strings from the side with fingernails. The Augustan lyra is attested from the time of the Augustan Empire, and was adopted by many of the peoples that came under the Empire's rule; examples include the Politiki lyra (πολίτικη λύρα) of Kalopia, the Armudî kemençe of Jakania, the Gadulka of Deltaria, or the Lira Sarregnese of Istalia. Other instruments used in folk music include the guitar, single, double or multiple flute, sistrum, timpano (drum), psaltirio, sirigs, cymbals, kerato and kanonakio. Dance Zardugal has a continuous history of native dances reaching from antiquity till the modern era. Traditional Zardic dancing has a primarily social function. It brings the community together at key points of the year, such as religious holidays, the grape harvest or patronal festivals, and at key points in the lives of individuals and families, such as weddings. For this reason, tradition frequently dictates a strict order in the arrangement of the dancers, for example, by age. There is much regional variation in what concerns the styles and interpretations of dances, but there are a number of dances used throughout the nation. The most popular of these are sirto ("dragged dance", also widely popular with the Augustan diaspora), hiporĥema ("circle dance"), milito ("war dance", consisting of 2 men fighting with knives in circle formation with a lyre playing.), and the kordako ("indecent dance", a provocative, licentious, and often obscene mask dance accompanied by castanets). Sport The national sport of Zardugal is chariot racing, an ancient Kalopian sport still widely popular. Chariot racing consists of twelve laps around the hippodrome, with sharp turns around the posts at either end. One end of the track is more open than the other, as this is where the chariots line up to begin the race. In the middle of the track there is a median called the spino, often decorated with statues and obelisks. There are two types of chariots, four-horse chariots and two-horse chariots, but the four-horse races are more popular. A chariot race is typically contested by four teams, and each team could have up to three chariots each in a race. Members of the same team often collaborate with each other against the other teams, for example to force them to crash into the spino, a legal and encouraged tactic. Although chariot drivers can become very wealthy and popular, their life expectancy, as well as that of the horses, is very low. Cuisine Zardic cuisine is similar those of many countries in the Majatran continent. It is marked by a merger of Kalopian and Selucian gastronomy with Irkawan, Mallan, and Turjak influences. There are two main styles of cuisine in Zardugal, the Eastern, consisting of Augustan cuisine supplemented by trade items, and a leaner style primarily based on local Augustan culture. The core diet consists of bread, vegetables, pulses, and cereals prepared in varied ways. Just like in most other traditional cuisines on the continent, Zardic meals usually begin with mezo (or mezes), a variety of small savoury dishes, such as dips, salads, and pastries. Zards also produce various cheeses, including antotiro. The most characteristic element of Zardic cuisine is olive oil, which is used in most dishes. It is produced from the olive trees prominent throughout the region, and adds to the distinctive taste of Augustan food. The basic grain in Zardugal is wheat, though barley is also grown. Important vegetables include tomatos, aubergines, potatoes, green beans, okra, green peppers, and onions. The most common form of cooking is boiling. Garo sauce, a fermented fish sauce prepared from the intestines of small fishes through the process of bacterial fermentation, is the most popular condiment. The national dish of Zardugal is the obelisko, a dish consisting of small pieces of meat and sometimes vegetables grilled on a skewer. It may be served on the skewer for eating out of hand, in a pita sandwich with garnishes and sauces, or on a dinner plate, often with fried potatoes. The meat is usually pork, although chicken and lamb may also be used. Drink Zardugal is famous for a number of costly wines. The most popular wines in Zardugal are resinated wines, a type of wine which derives part of its flavor from exposure to tree resins. The national wine of Zardugal is rezino, a white (or rosé) resinated wine, whose unique flavor originated from the practice of sealing amphorae with pine resin in ancient times. Another popular beverage in Zardugal is arako, a strong anise-flavored liquor made from fermented grape juice, adopted from the araq, the national drink of Cildania. Calendar Zardugal traditionally used the Augustan Calendar, called the Creation Era or Era of the World, that uses an Anno Mundi epoch derived from the Kalopian version of the Katub, influenced by the calendar used by the Kingdom of Irkawa. The epochal year of the Augustan Calendar is 5509 BCE, and the year starts on September 1st. The year 5509 BCE as the creation of the world is based on the calculation done during the Augustan Empire, and it differs from other Anno Mundi calendars used in other Qedarite faiths and denominations. In a manner derived from the ancient Selucian calendar, the day is divided into two 12-hour cycles fixed by the rising and setting of the sun. The day begins at midnight with the first hour of day coming at dawn. The third hour marks midmorning, the sixth hour noon, and the ninth hour midafternoon. Evening begins at the 11th hour, and with sunset comes the first hour of night, which is similarly divided into 12 hours. Because of this, traditional Augustan "hours" are of varying length throughout the year, from 75 minutes during the summer solstice to 45 minutes during the winter solstice. The Augustan Calendar is no longer used except for religious settings, being the official calendar of the Terran Patriarchal Church. The Augustan Calendar was adopted by a number of neighboring Hosian nations, most notably Deltaria. It is also indirectly related to the Irkawan Calendar and the Mallan Calendar, two nearly identical calendars used by the Coburan Apostolic Tewahedo Church, derived from the ancient Irkawan Calendar. To convert our era to the Augustan era, one has to add 5509 years from September to December, and 5508 years from January to August. Architecture Traditional Augustan architecture began as a continuation of Selucian and Kalopian architecture. The key features of Augustan architecture are the heavy use of mosaics, complex domes resting upon massive piers, and windows filtering light through thin sheets of alabaster to softly illuminate interiors. Most churches built in the Augustan style feature a cross-in-square shape, and exterior walls that are intricately decorated with complex brickwork patterns or with glazed ceramics. There are two chief types of plan in use: the basilican, or axial, type, and the circular, or central, type. Those of the latter type are nearly always vaulted. The central space is sometimes surrounded by a very thick wall, in which deep recesses, to the interior, are formed, or by a vaulted aisle; sometimes annexes are thrown out from the central space in such a way as to form a cross, in which these additions help to counterpoise the central vault. Augustan architecture was adopted by many countries ruled by or found at the periphery of the Augustan Empire, and it consists of one of the primary sources behind early Ahmadi architecture. Customs Dress The most distinctive item of clothing in traditional Zardic dress is the tuniko (tunic), derived from the ancient Selucian toga, which is a long and usually simple garment reaching from the shoulders to a length somewhere between the hips and the ankles. Men and women of higher status wear tunics that came down to the ankles, or nearly so. Over the tuniko the upper classes wear other garments, like a dalmatiko (dalmatic), a heavier and shorter type of tuniko, again worn by both sexes, but mainly by men. The klamido (chlamys) a semicircular cloak fastened to the right shoulder, is worn above the tuniko; the klamido is held on with a clasp at the shoulder, and nearly reaches the ground at front and back. In women's clothing, modesty is very important for all but the higher classes. Hair is covered by a variety of head-cloths and veils, often removed inside the home. Sometimes caps are worn under the veil, and sometimes the cloth is tied in turban style. Turbans are often worn by the men as well, besides the kaŭsio, a hat derived from the Turjak fez. Men's hair is generally short and neat, and is often artificially curled, while upper-class women mostly wear their hair up, again very often curled and elaborately shaped. Category:Zardugal